In England during 1865, an aristocrat, portrayed by Vincent Price, confines his brother (Alister Williamson) to the attic following a disfiguring Voodoo ritual in Africa. As the Lord attempts to win over Elizabeth (Hilary Dwyer), the imprisoned sibling manages to escape with help from his lawyer and a witchdoctor, eventually finding refuge with a questionable doctor (Christopher Lee). When the scarred man leaves the house, unsettling events unfold. "The Oblong Box” (1969) incorporates elements reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe’s work, but it bears little resemblance to his 1844 sea voyage story; it simply adopts the title for a Gothic horror narrative set in 19th century London. The film's producers believed associating the movie with Poe would boost ticket sales, which is why they controversially renamed “Witchfinder General” “The Conqueror Worm” for American audiences just one year prior. Given the unexpected success of "Witchfinder" (despite its limited budget), the studio re-engaged director Michael Reeves and three members of the cast (Price, Dwyer, and Rupert Davies) for this film. Sadly, Reeves became ill during preparations and was replaced by Gordon Hessler. The young, promising director passed away unexpectedly less than three months later at only 25 years old. The acting is adequate, the Gothic atmosphere is excellent, and the female performers (Dwyer, Sally Geeson, and Uta Levka) are attractive. However, the screenplay contains illogical plot points and a lack of clarity. For example, it’s puzzling that no one recognized the brother at his funeral. And if Edward's injuries stem from Voodoo, why does it transform into an infectious illness by the film’s conclusion? Poor writing like this doesn’t typically make for compelling cinema. Still, I imagine you can piece things together with a bit of creative thinking, and it might be worthwhile to see if you enjoy films such as Corman & Coppola’s “The Terror” (1963) and "Witchfinder General." But personally, this is the weakest of those three. The film has a running time of 1 hour, 36 minutes and was filmed at Shepperton Studios, located just west of London. GRADE: B-/C+

Source on TMDB